Our guest today is Meredith Sherman. She spent two decades in fine wine and spirits distribution, including luxury brands like Moët Hennessy. In August 2024, she left that world to found the division usa, an Atlanta-based distributor specifically for craft hemp beverage brands.

Her approach borrows directly from the luxury wine world. Instead of pushing a large portfolio through high-volume retail channels, the division usa keeps its roster small and focuses on building demand at the ground level through festivals, tastings, and hospitality events, before brands scale into wider distribution.

Meredith is here to talk about that model, the economics that trip up new founders, and what she thinks premium means for hemp beverages.

www.thedivisionusa.com

Today our guest is Ted Whitney. He has spent 20 years in the beer industry and brings that experience to Cheech & Chong's beverage brand.

In this episode, we talk about what beer can teach hemp about distribution, what it really takes to get a product on the shelf and keep it selling, and how Cheech & Chong's is approaching formulation and manufacturing. We also get into natural versus converted THC, minor cannabinoids, precision dosing, and why the company wants to be able to trace every can all the way back to the farm. Ted shares great insights into navigating the hemp beverage business from the supply chain to the retail shelf.

cheechandchong.com/collections/thc-drinks

Green Thumb Industries, Senorita Beverages are among the most popular drinks on the THC market today. The team is led by Rick Schepp, a veteran of the alcohol industry, who is opening doors to new venues for the category and industry, including Chicago's Navy Pier.

He joins the podcast to talk about their product line, why the team chose specific flavors and formats, and what it takes to work with distributors and retailers. He also shares tips for emerging brands looking to break into the space.

https://www.senoritadrinks.com/

Wynk launched its low-dose beverages in the regulated market around 2021 using its custom-made mobile canning system to be able to operate in multiple states. As the company evolved, it later entered the hemp beverage market and is now one of the top-selling brands. They are also in major retail outlets, including Target’s next expansion of THC drinks into about 400 of its stores.

Today we’re joined by Wynk CEO Angus Rittenburg, who walks us through their growth stages and how they got Wynk to where it is today.

https://drinkwynk.com/

Today's guest is David Spang, founder of Coastal Green Wellness, a chain of hemp retail stores with locations in South Carolina and Georgia.

David was one of the first entrepreneurs to open multiple hemp retail stores in South Carolina and has spent years working with lawmakers, helping educate them about the hemp industry as regulations have continued to evolve.

Today, Coastal Green offers its own line of hemp products, including Nine Dot hemp beverages, and David has been a strong advocate for building a safe, regulated marketplace for consumers and businesses alike.

In this episode, we talk about how he built his retail operation, the ongoing push for legalization and sensible regulation in South Carolina, and how his company is preparing for potential changes on November 12 that could dramatically reshape the hemp industry.

James and Vickey Hunter began their journey in the regulated California cannabis market before making the move into hemp beverages in 2023 with the launch of HighBridge Premium.

The brand quickly caught the attention of industry veteran Jim Belushi, who approached the company about a partnership that would eventually lead to a co-branded line of beverages. Today, HighBridge Premium is expanding its footprint with growing retail momentum, including an upcoming launch with Target.

In this episode, we talk with James and Vickey about their transition from cannabis operators to beverage entrepreneurs, the strategy behind building a recognizable brand, their partnership with Jim Belushi, and their ambitious plans to bring HighBridge Premium to consumers across as many states as possible in the months ahead.

https://highbridgepremium.com

Keef Brands has been around since the early days of Colorado's medical cannabis market and was experimenting with infused beverages long before nano-emulsions changed the category.

The company is best known for its classic soda-inspired lineup, including root beer, cola, orange, and grape flavors.

Today I'm joined by Keef's Chief Revenue Officer, Blake Patterson. We talk about the company's sales strategy, how it's finding success in convenience stores, the marketing behind the brand, and what the looming November hemp ban could mean for the business and the broader beverage industry.

https://keefbrands.com

For years, Terpene Belt Farms has supplied terpenes to formulators, dating back to California's medical cannabis market. After merging with Nexus AgriScience, the company began breeding hemp varieties with specific terpene profiles for beverage formulators.

As hemp beverage brands prepare for potential regulatory changes on November 12, CEO Shareef El-Sissi believes those terpene profiles could provide an alternative approach to product development. The company has developed a single-strain hemp terpene oil and is pursuing GRAS status with the FDA; according to El-Sissi, it could help brands create beverages with a more elevated experience without relying on THC.

I sat down with Shareef to discuss how brands are preparing for a possible shift toward functional beverages, what formulators should consider when working with terpene science, and why he sees this as a potential Plan B if THC-infused beverages face new restrictions.

https://terpenebeltfarms.com

Today, we're joined by Kelsy Raap, co-owner of Upstate Elevator, a family-run company that got its start in Vermont's legal cannabis market nearly a decade ago and later expanded into hemp-derived THC beverages sold across multiple states.

Kelsy brings an herbalist's perspective to the business, always exploring how minor cannabinoids and functional botanicals can work together to create better products.

She's also deeply committed to Vermont's craft tradition, proving that it's possible to grow a company while maintaining the quality and integrity that small producers are known for.

In this episode, we explore the future of cannabis formulation, why cannabinoids like CBDA and THCV are opening new possibilities for wellness products, how functional ingredients like kava and kanna fit into the next generation of beverages, and how Upstate Elevator is preparing for the uncertainty surrounding the proposed federal hemp restrictions scheduled for November 12.

https://upstateelevator.store

Omar Ansari started Surly craft Brewery around twenty years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which also boasts a large beer hall and beer garden. Like many other breweries, Omar pivoted to manufacturing THC drinks to make up for the decline in beer sales.

He shares great insights into what to look for in a manufacturer, how to find the right partnership for your business model, what could go wrong, and how to prepare to work with a manufacturer.

https://surlybrewing.com/beer-hall-and-beer-garden